Carina Rose Black, The Second Year
by Katie80-90Thousand
Summary: Carina is back for year two, but can she survive Weasley, the taunts and suspicion, the idiot they call a professor, arguments with friends, her cousins and Hermione being petrified, and make it through still sane?
1. Scraping The Bottom Of The Barrel

**CARINA BLACK YEAR TWO**

**Chapter One: Carina Meets The New Professor**

"Jamie, hurry up!" Carina called impatiently, using the nickname that she knew her godfather hated to show how impatient she was feeling. She looked at the watch Keith had given her for her birthday and tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. What on _earth_ was he doing up there?

"I'm coming, _Carrie_," he called back at her.

Carina wrinkled her nose. That nickname had come along from Ella and 'Rea, both of whom didn't understand why she found it abhorrent. James had decided that it would be a good way to annoy her, apparently, and it worked far too well in her opinion. "Come _on_!" she called in frustration. "I'm dying of boredom down here waiting for you! You would think that _you_ were the girl around here with all the primping you do!"

James' footsteps were heard on the stairs as he responded, "That was just low, 'Rina."

Carina shrugged. "Oh well. Can we go now?"

James chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, Carina, we can go now."

Shopping was, in Carina's opinion, positively boring until they reached the bookstore. After all, what was the fun in picking up a bunch of dead plant and animal parts? It was disgusting, and even if it wasn't, she'd hate potions purely because the teacher was such an arse to her.

A glance at the book list was all Carina needed to know that this year was going to suck. She had bought one of Gilderoy Lockhart's books, just to see what the fuss was about, and she hadn't made it three chapters before the putting the book down in fear of Lockhart's stupidity being contagious. Now they wanted her to _buy_ and _use_ the WHOLE SET! Insanity…

She handed the list to James and, with a pout that melted James in a second, asked him to pick up those books while she looked around.

By the time she met up with James again, she had seven books in her hands, and a crowd was forming in and around the bookstore. Carina caught sight of something she had previously missed – a poster advertising a book signing with Gilderoy Lockhart.

Against her will, a whimper escaped her throat. "James, c'mon, we've got to go, _now!_"

"What's wrong, Carina?" he asked worriedly.

Carina pointed at the poster and James laughed uproariously. "This isn't funny," she hissed. "I think his stupidity might be contagious!"

This did nothing to stop James' laughing fit.

"What a ponce," Carina mumbled as Lockhart entered. The guy would be better off as a model than anything else, because he was stupid, arrogant, annoying… Carina figured she could go on, but she didn't get the chance as Lockhart caught sight of her.

Upon his announcement that he was the new DADA teacher at Hogwarts, Carina finally found the strength to pull herself out of his grasp. Incredulously, not caring that everyone could hear her, she shouted, "Has Dumbledore gone insane?! Hiring a ponce like you! Merlin, talk about scraping the bottom of the pool!"

Lockhart looked nervous, the crowd was caught between amusement and horror, and James managed to pull her away and the two of them Floo'd home. "What _**was**_ that?" he asked, torn between amusement and anger.

Carina scowled darkly. "Dumbledore has gone insane. Completely insane. I refuse. I won't go. I'll skip every DADA class there is. I'm not going to be around that ponce anymore than is absolutely necessary! That… that… _man_ is an insult to all magical beings! He takes stupid to a level I didn't know was possible! How can Dumbledore _do_ this?!"

James was pulled firmly out of anger and into amusement and collapsed in a fit of hilarity.

Carina crossed her arms. "James, this is insane! The moron can't write a book, let alone teach a school full of students about DADA! We've already had one crap teacher, another is going to set us completely behind!"

James calmed himself down. "Carina, I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad. 'Sides, even if it is, you'll manage. You're Sirius Black and Lily Evans' daughter. That right there is proof that you'll manage, whether you lose your temper and hex him, or prank him until he runs away with his tail between his legs."

"In that case," Carina said with an evil grin. "You can't be upset if I do either or both of those things."

He mock shuddered, "Oh Merlin, what have I gotten myself into?"

A hex hit him from behind and he jumped as he felt a tingle on his skin. Carina took one look at him and burst into laughter. "Gods, Uncle Remus, that's just mean!" she gasped out between fits of laughter.

Remus shrugged. "He was asking for it."

"What did he do?" James asked, scared.

"He turned your skin neon green, your hair neon orange, and in blue across your forehead is the word _hypocrite_." Carina informed him, chuckling.

"I was kidding around!" James protested to Remus. "And all parents/godparents are hypocrites, they're supposed to be."

Carina reluctantly added, "James has a point there."

Remus pouted. "I was just using it as an excuse to prank him, I don't really think he's a hypocrite. It was fun, though."

Carina giggled at the looks on her godfather and uncles faces.

"This means war," James growled at Remus, who grinned in agreement.

Carina decided that Potter Manor was about to become a very, very dangerous place to live. A prank war between the last two living and faithful Marauders, likely with help from Keith Lestrange. She was relatively sure it wouldn't be pretty.


	2. The Biggest Prat On Earth

Chapter Two: Carina Wants To Murder Ronald Weasley Chapter Two: Carina Wants To Murder Ronald Weasley

**August 27****th**** 1992**

"Why can't I just stay with Remus or Keith?" Carina asked desperately.

"It's the full moon, and Keith has Ella and 'Rea over," James explained for the fifteenth time. "I'm sorry, 'Rina, but I really don't have much of a choice here."

"You could not go!" she shot back irritably. "It isn't that bloody important, James, it's just a meeting to talk about your desperation to get a job! Guess what, James?! The job will still be there when I leave for Hogwarts in five days!"

James sighed. "Carina, please. It's only five days."

"In which there is plenty of time for me to lose my temper with Weasley's five, four, three and two," Carina countered. "I don't want to blow up their house, but being stuck around those four gits might just make me lose my temper!"

James looked at her pleadingly. "Carina, _please_."

Carina sighed. "Fine, but only 'cause you're you. Keep in mind that I'm doing this under protest, though."

"Yes ma'am, Madam Carina," he said teasingly.

Carina rolled her eyes.

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB

**August 31****st**** 1992**

Carina was about an inch away from blowing up at Ronald Weasley. Fred and George were easy enough to ignore once you got used to their pranks, and that was easy for her: she did live with a Marauder, after all. Percy just left her alone, which she thanked her lucky stars for. The youngest Weasley, Ginny, was pretty quiet, but she seemed like a sweet girl all the same.

It was only the fact that Fred, George and Percy were leaving her alone that got her through her time at the Burrow. Sharing a room with Ginny was interesting, and it was a great way to get away from Ron The Git, but it wasn't enough shelter from the git.

Tomorrow.

One more day and she'd go to Hogwarts, where she'd be in a completely different tower than ALL of the Weasley's. She couldn't wait.

_One more day_…

CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB

**September 1****st**** 1992**

Carina stared at the barrier in horror and anger. Couldn't it have let just one of them through so she wouldn't have to deal with Weasley?! "I give up," she muttered in annoyance. "I'm going to go wait for your parents, Weasley," she snarled, going over to the Weasley's car and plopping down in the expanded back seat.

She waited for fifteen minutes before her sleepiness won out and she fell asleep.

Waking up, she immediately knew that something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what that something was just yet. "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!" she shouted in fury. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

He had flown the car. Merlin only knew where they were, but they were flying a car. A very visible care. Merlin, save her from idiots.

"It was the only way to get to school," Ron explained.

"I have an owl, you ignoramus!" she shouted, pointing at Hedwig who was asleep in her cage. "You could have sent a letter ahead and told them we couldn't get through!"

"Well I'm sorry we're not all brilliant," Ron drawled sarcastically.

"I hate you, Ronald Weasley," Carina snarled.

It was a very long and tense drive the rest of the way to Hogwarts, and Carina spent most of it fighting the urge to murder Ronald Weasley with her bare hands. Maybe dear ol' Fluffy would want to see Ron… for dinner. Better yet, just drop him in the middle of the Forbidden Forest without his wand and see if he lives through it.

Carina quelled her bitter and furious thoughts and tried to do something breathing exercises to calm down. This worked until they were almost touching down at Hogwarts and Ron crashed the car into the whomping willow.

"Weasley, you idiot," she moaned, praying to Merlin that they'd get out of this.

Ten minutes later, thankfully on the ground and out of the situation where Ronald Weasley held the keys to her safety, Carina was fuming.

Walking into Hogwarts, the first person to spot them was Snape, and Carina mentally winced. This would be bad. But it hadn't been her fault, she'd been asleep when Ron had come up with and started his insane plan!

Then again, if she told them that and they believed her, it was highly likely that Weasley would be expelled. However much of a pest he was, Carina didn't think he deserved that. But did she deserve to get in trouble for his stupidity?

Coming to a decision while waiting for McGonagall, Flitwick and Dumbledore, she cursed every bit of inherited Gryffindor-ness she had. She should just let the git get expelled, it was his fault anyway, but she couldn't do it.

"Sit," McGonagall said with thin lips.

Both Carina and Weasley did so.

"Explain," Flitwick ordered.

Carina explained the story she had prepared. "The barrier wouldn't let us through, Professors, and we went back to wait for the Weasley's at their car, but after twenty minutes with no one coming we decided we had to get their on our own. We decided to fly the car, it was really the only thing we could think of," she babbled, hating that she was making herself look stupid and that she was going to be in worlds of trouble for this git whom she hated. Speaking of which, he'd managed to only looked completely shocked for a second before going along with her story.

"I believe that you have an owl, Miss Black. Why did you not send a letter to let us know what was happening," McGonagall said thinly.

Carina made herself look shocked. "I – I didn't think – "

"That," Flitwick said seriously, "Was obvious."

Dumbledore told them seriously, "The two of you broke tens of rules with this stunt, and by all rights, you should probably be expelled. However, I will leave your punishment up to your heads of house."

Carina had a sinking feeling in her stomach. In the previous year, it had been proven conclusively that if there was one thing Professor Flitwick hated, it was when Ravenclaws did stupid things in public and made it rather obvious. This was NOT going to be good.

"I think points – " Flitwick started.

Carina thought frantically, and said desperately, "When we took the car, term hadn't started, so you really shouldn't take points from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, should you?"

Both Flitwick and McGonagall stared at her and she fought the urge to look away.

The Professors seemed to have a silent conversation. "Points will not be taken," McGonagall finally said. "Mr. Weasley, you have a week of detentions, and I am writing a letter to your parents."

Ron nodded, looking more scared than Carina had ever seen him.

"Miss Black, you also have a week of detention, and I'll be writing a letter to your godfather," Flitwick said seriously. "Do not expect to get off so lightly if you do something like this again."

Carina and Ron both nodded, Carina inwardly wishing to hell and back that she hadn't covered for Weasley. "You may both eat in here and then return to your common rooms," Professor McGonagall informed them.

They ate in silence and Carina was all too happy when they were done to just get away from Weasley.

"Hey, Black," he called as she turned to walk towards Ravenclaw tower.

"Yes, Weasley?" she asked tiredly.

"Thank you for covering for me," he said shyly. "You didn't have to, and I really appreciate it."

"It's fine," she said, feeling exhausted and drained. "You are an idiot and a git but you don't deserve to be expelled, and if we'd told the truth, you probably would have been. Just drop it and pretend the story we told the Professors was the truth, okay Weasley?"

Ronald nodded.

**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**

**September 2****nd**** 1992**

The next day was just as bad as the previous one, Carina thought. Ella, 'Rea, and Hermione were all refusing to speak to her, in all likelihood this was because she'd been with Weasley rather than the flying car itself. They had made a pact between the four of them about the git, and they thought she'd broken it. So they were only right to be angry, but that didn't make her feel any better as she dragged herself down to the great hall for breakfast.

Only a few minutes after she arrived, before she'd even had a full cup of her precious coffee, an explosion was heard from the Gryffindor table in the form of a howler from Mrs. Weasley.

"_Stealing the car, I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd expelled you, you wait till I get hold of you, Ronald Bilius Weasley! I don't suppose you stopped to think what your father and I would think when we saw it was gone! That letter from __McGonagall__ last night, I thought your father would die of shame, we didn't bring you up to behave like this, you and Carina could have died! I am absolutely disgusted with your behavior, Ronald! Your father is facing an inquiry at work and it's entirely your fault! If you put another toE out of line we'll bring you straight home!"_

Carina felt ill. If he was in this much trouble without them knowing she hadn't agreed, how much would he have been in if they thought she'd not known? She didn't want to imagine it. An owl was heading towards her, though. A very familiar owl. Thank Merlin it wasn't carrying a howler.

"Hey Paddy," she whispered, patting her godfathers owls head. "He was pretty angry, wasn't he?" she asked regretfully, and Paddy bobbed his head.

Carina fought the urge to burst into tears and took the letter from Paddy, giving him a bit of bacon and sending him on his way.

With great reluctance, Carina opened the letter and began to read.

_Carina Rose Black, what on EARTH were you thinking?! _

_You and Weasley could have been KILLED, you could have DIED! I have never been so disappointed in you as I am right now! I cannot believe that you did something so __stupid__! You had Hedwig with you, why didn't you just owl the school or even me?! Arthur Weasley is facing and inquiry at work over this, and it is entirely the fault of you and Ronald! _

_We are going to have a very long talk about this come Christmas break, Carina Rose, and don't you doubt it for a second. You are __extremely__ lucky that you weren't expelled over this, but not being expelled does __not__ mean that you aren't in trouble._

_This has got to be the stupidest thing you have ever done, Carina. You had better be behaving well from now on or you won't have to worry about being expelled, I'll pull you out myself. _

_Carina… just… It has been suggested that I should not write this when I am as angry as I currently am, but you need to know just how badly you messed up. I am absolutely __furious__ that you would do something so irresponsible, Carina Rose Black! _

_We WILL be discussing this, Carina. _

_James Potter_

Carina stared at the letter for a second, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She stuffed the letter in her bag, slung the bag over her shoulder, and ran out of the great hall. She didn't stop running until she reached the third floor corridor, where she threw her bag down and sat down leaning against the wall. Making sure she was alone, she let the tears she'd forced herself to hide finally flow.

Why, why hadn't she just let Weasley get expelled… It would be the end of his education, but she wouldn't be feeling like her world was falling down around her, and she wouldn't feel guilty and regretful for something that really wasn't her fault, whatever she'd told the professors.

She had never felt so low in her life as she did right now, not even right after Quirrel's death or when the Dursley's were taunting her. Not once had she ever felt this badly. She should have let him take the blame. She should have, because it was actually his fault, and she really hadn't done anything to deserve this, nothing but be too damned noble and sympathetic to someone who didn't deserve an ounce of either.

But nothing she did now could take back that she'd lied to save Weasley, so she would just have to deal with the consequences. It was a lot easier to do that when the consequences were a few detentions rather than an extremely disappointed godfather. Hell, just about _anything_ would have been better than that letter.

_Never been so disappointed in you as I am right now_…

Carina bit her lip and then let determination fill her. She could not tell anyone that it had been a lie, that she hadn't had anything to do with the car, because that would get Weasley in trouble. What she could do was keep studying, keep trying, and do her damned best not to think about the conversation she'd be having with James come Christmas break…

**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**

The next day, walking out on the grounds, she was startled by the sight of a large black horse with wings. It took her awhile to realize what it was, at which point she pushed away her emotions and tired to forget that she had killed her last DADA teacher. She had thought she'd gotten past it, but being reminded she had killed a man by the fact that she could see a creature only people who had seen death could see just set her off again…


	3. When Did Talking Become Evil?

**Chapter Three: Carina Hears A Hissy Voice**

Seven straight days of answering Gilderoy Lockhart's fan-mail. Well, at least Carina could safely say that she now knew exactly what hell felt like. And the man was as bad at teaching as he was at writing.

This was the last time, Carina reminded herself, after tonight she'd never have to answer the idiots fan mail again. Never again.

…_come_…_come to me… let me rip you…let me tear you… let me kill you… come_…

Carina jumped about five feet in the air and Lockhart looked at her in 'concern.'

"I'm sorry, sir, I was just startled," she apologized in a fake tone. "I think I must be mighty tired, because there wasn't really anything to startle me."

"Oh, dear me," Lockhart said apologetically. "It's been four and a half hours that we've been at it… you can go back to your common room, Miss Black, but don't expect a treat like this every time you've got a detention…"

Carina barely managed not to laugh in his face at the sheer idiocy of his statement.

**September 16****th**** 1992**

"Carina!" a hushed whisper called.

"Yeah, 'Mione?" Carina replied, trying to stop her voice from breaking. She'd been at school for sixteen days now, seven of which she'd had detention with Lockhart on, and all of which her friends weren't speaking to her. It was entirely safe to say that this was nothing at all what she had thought her second year at Hogwarts would be like.

"Filch and his cat were attacked!" Hermione said in a horrified tone. "Flitwick told us that they were petrified, it'll be awhile before they can make the potion to revive them! And there was this sign in blood on the wall where they were found, 'the chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware.' Everyone is freaking out and they're sending us all to the common rooms so I thought I'd come tell you," she said breathlessly.

Carina looked at her in horror. "Merlin, it just keeps getting worse," she mumbled, letting Hermione drag her back to the Ravenclaw common room.

Upon reaching the tower, though, Hermione went back to pretending that Carina didn't exist.

Unable to stand it anymore, Carina ran up to their dorm room and sat in the window waiting for someone she knew would be there soon. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a hissing voice was heard, _mistress 'Rina, are you there today?_ Carina fought the urge to cry as she answered the snake who had been her only friend in the last several days.

Carina never noticed Lisa Turpin leaving the dorm with a horrorstruck look on her face, having heard her conversation with the snake.

By the next day, rumors were spreading and tons of people thought that she was the 'heir' who was petrifying people. The rumors only multiplied when Colin Creevey, who had been pestering her since the beginning of the year, was also petrified.

On the nineteenth, Carina refused to leave her bed. She was going to stay there and never face the world again. This year had been horrible and she didn't much want to keep going on with it.

Ella, 'Rea, and Hermione found her crying into her pillow during lunch. They had been intending to go sit out by the lake, but they stopped to see how she was. "Carina, what's wrong?" Ella asked with concern evident in her voice.

With a sob, Carina explained about how lonely she'd been feeling, and about the voice she'd kept hearing around the school that wanted to kill, and about how people thought that she was causing all this trouble and all she had wanted was a bit of peace. She also apologized for going with Ron with the car and begged them not to hate her.

"Oh, Carina, we never hated you," 'Rea said sadly. "We were upset with you, yeah, but we never hated you. Not once, not for a second. I'm sorry we were ignoring you, we should have been there when you needed us no matter how upset we were."

Carina tried to wipe away her tears. "It's fine, you're here now, after all." She said with a half-hearted smile.

"So tell us about the hissy voice," 'Rea asked, "Maybe we can figure out what it is and if it's the same thing petrifying people."

Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Guys, I'm really sorry, I should have told you this sooner," Carina mumbled. "I'm a parselmouth, I can talk to snakes. I'm pretty sure that whatever is attacking people is a snake of some sort, and that's why only I can hear it."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I think I might have an idea, but it will take awhile to find out."

Carina half-smiled at her. "You need my help?"

Hermione beamed. "Of course I do!"

And maybe things weren't all the way better, maybe they were still in the middle of a crisis, but with her friends by her side Carina couldn't help but think things seemed a LOT better than they had.


	4. Pop Goes The Weasley

**Chapter Four: Carina Is Fed Up With Weasley's**

Carina looked at Hermione, Ella, and 'Rea in exasperation. "Make them stop," she pleaded. "Merlin what on earth makes them think that's funny?!"

All three girls shrugged in response, Ella looking like she wanted to laugh.

"SERIOUSLY EVIL WITCH COMING THROUGH!!!" Fred and George shouted loudly and in unison. "Make way for Slytherin's heir, the beautiful Carina Black, off to have a chat with her serpent!"

"Frederick Gideon and George Fabian Weasley," Carina growled, thankful for overhearing Mrs. Weasley yelling at them in the summer, "You have three seconds to apologize and swear you'll never do it again before I lose my temper."

The boy looked at each other and grinned, saying in unison, "nah!"

Carina growled and whipped out her wand, casting a hex at both of them. Fred's left foot was now stuck to his right knee, and George's right foot was now stuck to his left knee. This hex had been shown to her that summer by James in case any boys got pushy with her. Of course, he'd added that if that happened, Carina would be the least of their worries, but that wasn't the point.

"Do it again and this will seem like a summer day on a sunny beach," Carina threatened them icily. "I have had it up to hear with you and your brothers, and frankly, if I have to deal with the lot of you much more, I might just blow something up!"

Hermione and Ella tugged on her arm. "Come on, Carina, we've got to get away from here before you _really_ lose your temper."

Carina followed her friends and pouted. "I was just getting started."

"That's why we were worried," 'Rea said dryly.

"Aww, but that's so mean," Carina pouted, and then rolled her eyes as they passed Percy Weasley sheltering Ron and Ginny Weasley from Carina's sight. "Merlin, is it natural for the lot of them to be so stupid?" she asked in exasperation.

Ella giggled. "Carina, they're idiots, ignore them."

Carina sighed. "I'm trying, Ella, I really am, and I don't have anything against Arthur, Molly and Ginny, but those four boys make me want to scream bloody murder and throw random breakable things at walls or heads."

This caused all of them to laugh at the mental image presented.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

"Black," a voice said. "I want to talk to you."

"What _now_ Weasley?" Carina snapped. This was Percy, the oldest Weasley currently in Hogwarts, a sixth year prefect, and someone Carina would have dearly loved to hex.

"Stay away from my brothers and sister," he demanded. "I've seen the looks you've sent the twins, and I'm telling you, you won't like the consequences if you hurt any of my family!"

"Sweet mother of Merlin," Carina breathed in exasperation. "You know Fred and George, Percy, and you know how obnoxious they are. The looks I have sent them are because they are constantly annoying me, and I'm not Slytherin's heir, so I'm NOT going to be attacking ANYONE! Ron and I have hated each other from the start of things, and I don't know Ginny at all, so stop acting like I'm the most evil person in existence, open your eyes, and realize that I don't want anyone hurt!" she ranted at him furiously.

Percy pursed his lips. "Stay away from them," he said menacingly before stalking away.

Carina leaned against the wall and moaned in disbelief. "I've had enough of this!"

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

"Hermione, this is making me crazy!" Carina ranted. "I want this to stop, I want people to see I'm not hurting anyone, and I want my sanity back! Why is this happening?!"

Hermione smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Carina. You know that the three of us are here for you if you need us, but none of us can really do anything to stop the idiots from believing what they want to believe."

Carina sighed. "I know that, but I'm so stressed out and it just keeps getting worse! And Christmas is getting closer-and-closer-and-closer and I really don't want it to come!" she murmured.

"Ah, talking to James?" Hermione guessed.

Carina nodded.

Hermione bit her lip. "I won't say you deserve it, I mean, I do think you do, but I can see that it is tearing you apart, and I don't want you to be hurt. But you know that he's only upset because he cares, don't you?"

"'Course," Carina whispered. _But there's no reason he should be upset, because I didn't even know that Weasley was going to fly the car until we were ½ of the way to school_… "But I just…"

"I know," Hermione agreed. "Knowing someone has the right to be upset and accepting that they are upset are two very different things."

Carina grimaced. "Too true, Hermione, too true."

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

"ARGH!" Carina screamed in frustration. If the Weasley twins pranked her one more time, she was going to lose her temper and prank them back. She had tried to hold her temper, to ignore their petty little pranks, but this was the LAST time they messed with her! This time her hair had been charmed neon green. But they generally limited themselves to one at a time, so she was safe for now.

Or so she thought.

Carina stared at her hands in disgust. Were those _scales_?! They had given her scales! "I AM FED UP WITH YOU WEASLEY PRATS!" She screamed out loud, not caring that they were in the great hall in the middle of breakfast. "Stop pranking me, stop blaming me, stop taunting me, and LEAVE ME THE BLOODY HELL ALONE!"

A stunned silence fell over the great hall and then Andrew and Ryan cheered loudly. "Go Cuz!" they applauded her.

Unable to help herself, she grinned back at her cousins.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

_Not again_, Carina inwardly groaned as she heard the twins mocking her and calling her Slytherin's heir yet again. She could not tolerate this anymore, she'd had enough. "Immobulus, immobulus," she snarled at each twin, freezing them in place.

Now what hex to use on them… or better yet… an evil grin grew on her face as she whispered the incantation over each of them. Inwardly, she thanked her lucky stars that Transfiguration was her favorite subject and she was years ahead.

On the floor, in the same place as Fred and George had been moments before, were two purple kittens, meowing in protest.

"Aw, look at the ickle kitty cats," Carina mocked. "How does it feel to be on the other side, boys?"

"Miss Black!"

_Uh-oh_. "Hi Professor Flitwick." She said nervously.

"Miss Black, please reverse your transfiguration," Flitwick ordered.

"Finite," she mumbled regretfully, wishing she could have left them the way they'd been – it was easier to get along with kittens than teenage boys!

"Twenty points from Ravenclaw for using magic in the halls," Flitwick told her, "And fifteen points _to_ Ravenclaw for that excellent display of human-to-animal transfiguration. Do try to keep your temper next time, Carina."

"I will, Professor Flitwick," Carina promised.

Flitwick smiled. "Because I've seen how those boys have been treating you lately, I won't write to your godfather about this. I would, however, suggest that you tell him before someone else does, as that would be a bad situation."

"Thank you, Professor," Carina said sincerely.


	5. Worrying About Ginny

**Chapter Five: Carina Worries About Weasley #7**

**December 19****th**** 1992**

It was Christmas break, and Carina found herself torn between elation at being away from the chaos at school, and depression at the talk she was going to have with James when she got home. She was also feeling worried about Ginny Weasley, who had been acting odd for months, and even her brothers thought it was strange the way she was acting.

Anytime someone tried to confront her or speak to her about her distant attitude, she became snappish and rude, refusing to talk about anything.

It was worried thoughts of the youngest Weasley and also towards Susan Bones and Terry Boot who had been petrified, that occupied Carina's mind until the Hogwarts Express arrived in London.

With a sick feeling in her stomach, Carina forced herself to go meet James. Avoiding this would only make it worse, after all. And maybe the months had given him some time to cool down and he wasn't so angry anymore. She could only hope.

False hope, she knew it as soon as she saw him. If he'd been upset last Christmas break, it was nothing compared to how upset he was now. It took all of Carina's courage not to turn around, get back on the train, and hide until she was sure no one would find her. With far more confidence than she actually felt, Carina went to meet her godfather.

"Hi, James."

"Hi, Carina," he said evenly. "Are you ready to go home?"

Carina nodded silently.

"We're side along apparating again," he explained, taking her trunk and shrinking and then pulling her into a hug and apparating them away.

Upon arriving in James' study at Potter Manor, James took out her trunk, un-shrunk it, and called for Twinkle to take it to her room, before sitting behind his desk and staring at her.

Carina fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I'm sorry," she blurted out after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't thinking," James repeated slowly. "You weren't thinking about the risk to your life, the risk to Ronald Weasley's life, the risk to Arthur Weasley's job, the risk to your school career? You weren't thinking about anything at all?"

_I was sound asleep, actually_, Carina thought bitterly, but knew she couldn't tell him. "I wasn't thinking about anything at all."

"That's not at all like you, Carina, and you and I both know it," James said evenly. "So why don't you try telling me the truth."

Carina searched her mind desperately for another excuse, one that didn't involve telling the truth about how stupid Weasley was. _There it is, but it's going to make this even worse_… "I was angry at you," she mumbled, trying to make sure it was realistic. "For making me stay with the Weasley's. So when Ron came up with the idea I thought it would make you as angry as you made me… it was revenge, really."

"Revenge," James said, now looking even angrier than he had at the train station, and angrier than she had imagined he would be when she'd read his letter. "I won't even bother listing the dozens of reasons why that is ridiculously _stupid_, because I know that you already know. Carina, I know you by now, so don't expect me to believe every little lie you think of. You probably were angry with me, but if you really wanted revenge, you'd have done something a lot smarter than that. So, I ask again, tell me the truth."

Carina bit her lip and reluctantly told the truth. "I was asleep. When we realized that we couldn't get through the barrier, I went back to the Weasley's car and sat down to wait for them to come back out. I fell asleep while I was waiting, and when I woke up again, we were in the air and halfway to Hogwarts."

James nodded. "And why did you cover for Weasley, who you profess to hate?"

"Because even if I do hate him, he doesn't deserve to be expelled," Carina said stubbornly. "And I saw how angry they were that we'd both gone voluntarily, and how close we'd come to being expelled, and I knew that if they had known I had nothing to do with it willingly, they'd have been even angrier with Weasley, and he'd have been expelled for sure. So I protected him and told him to act like I'd told the truth."

James leaned back in his chair and studied her expression, and Carina felt extremely uncomfortable, it was rather like he could see right through her, but at least she'd told the truth that time.

After yet another uncomfortable silence, James sighed. "Merlin, Carina. Did you even intend to let me know that you didn't really fly the car willingly?"

Carina mutely shook her head.

James sighed again. "You know, I had this whole speech planned out, and suddenly it doesn't seem like the right thing to say here. Part of me thinks you still deserve the punishment I had already chosen, and part of me thinks you don't. I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me what really happened before now, and I'm proud that you were willing to help someone who you don't even get along with. I'm furious with Weasley for risking your life like that, and I'm furious with you for risking your own education to protect his."

Carina said nothing, but looked away from her godfather, feeling conflicted emotions between angry, sad, and ashamed.

"We were going to have a repeat of last years holiday break," James said evenly, trying to get her to meet his eyes. "And that wasn't all it was going to be. But now…"

"…now I'm not in any trouble 'cause I was nice to Weasley when I really wanted to kill him?" Carina offered hopefully.

James rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming, Carina."

"Damn," she murmured. "Wait," she said, remembering the twin kittens. "I have to tell you something before I forget or someone else tells you for me."

James blinked. "Okay then…"

"Fred and George Weasley are absolute gits who can't seem to get enough of annoying me, I lost my temper after awhile and we had two purple kittens for a few minutes. Flitwick said he wouldn't write you because he'd seen how they were treating me, but that I should tell you myself because otherwise you'd probably find out and that would suck," Carina blurted out.

James stared at her and then burst into laughter. "Kittens?"

Carina blushed. "I was angry."

James shook his head with a fond smile. "All right, 'Rina, we'll stick with the repeat of last year but I won't add the other things I was going to before you told me the truth. Can you deal with that?"

Carina nodded.

"Good."

And yet another awkward silence took over the study.

"You know, there was a hint in that," James said with an amused half-smile.

Carina blinked. "Oh!" she said in realization. "Right. See you, then." She left the study and ran up the stairs to her room. That had gone much better than she'd thought it would. Now she had two weeks to worry about the people who had stayed over at school and Ginny Weasley. Wonderful.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

**January 3****rd**** 1993**

Carina leaned against the bathroom door, letting her hair fall into her face and fighting the urge to scream about the unfairness of her life. This… wasn't something she could go to her godfather about, that just felt… wrong. But who the heck else could she go to? Merlin, sometimes it sucked having no mother figure in your life!

"Carina! Lunch!"

Carina didn't reply. Christmas had been two days ago, and they'd had a good time, but it had been a little tense – Carina figured that should have been expected, though.

"Carina?" James sounded worried now.

"In here," she answered him reluctantly. "I'm not coming out of here, though."

"What's wrong, 'Rina?"

"Nothing," she snapped. "Nothing I'm willing to talk to you about!"

She could almost see his face as he realized what she meant.

"Oh! Do you want me to get someone for you?" he asked uneasily.

"Like who?" Carina asked him bitterly. "I somehow can't imagine going to talk to Weasley's Mum, or even Hermione's mum, and DEFINITELY not Aunt Andromeda, so who else is there?"

"Andromeda's oldest daughter, Dora?" James offered.

"Fine," Carina answered. "But only because I know I have to talk to someone!"

"Aye, 'Rina. I'll go ask her to come over."


	6. Tom Riddle: Arrogant, Sexist Pig

**Chapter Six: Carina Encounters Tom Riddle**

**February 8****th**** 1993**

If Carina hadn't been desperate, she'd have not even considered using Moaning Myrtle's loo, but as the case was, she really, really had to go. Merlin, she could just ignore Myrtle, right?

Only Myrtle was crying about having a book thrown at her, and Carina was a bit interested as to why someone would throw a book at a ghost. So she took the book, a journal. After various tests, she was sure there was no invisible ink or any other hidden writing it, and she wrote _My name is Carina Black_, on the first page.

_Hello Carina, my name is Tom Riddle_.

Carina's eyes widened in surprise. Both because the journal was writing back, and because that name felt familiar, even though she was sure she'd never known anyone with that name…

_May I ask why you're writing in my journal?_

Against her better judgement, Carina wrote back. _A girl threw it at a ghost, and the ghost was really upset about it, so I took it to figure out what it was_. Carina waited impatiently for 'Tom Riddle' to write back to her.

_Oh, that's strange. I wonder why anyone would do that… I'm not that bad to have around_…

_How is it possible that you're writing back to me?_

Carina felt extremely uneasy about this, but couldn't help but wonder…

_I'm a bit like a portrait, I guess you could say. An imprint, if you would. I suppose, though, that there are many people who would not want this diary read._

_Why not?_

_Because it holds the memories of terrible events that took place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Events that were covered up. Events about the Chamber of Secrets_…

Something was not right about this, Carina could tell. It felt distinctly off. Almost like the feeling you got when you knew you were being watched, or when you could tell someone was lying to you… or a mixture of both. _What do you mean?_

Tom wrote back, _the student who opened the chamber while I was in school was expelled, but not imprisoned. A girl was killed before he was caught, and several students were petrified. The main suspect before they caught the culprit was a girl in my year, a Gryffindor. I thought the idea was ridiculous, Slytherin's heir, a Gryffindor and a GIRL? No, it was more sinister than that_…

Carina glared at the book. The guy was sexist, she could already tell. Asshole. _Can you prove any of this?_

_I can show you. I can bring you into my memory of the event, if you'd like_…

_I guess_…

_Carina was surprised to find herself in the headmasters office – only, it wasn't Dumbledore's office, but someone else's. Someone called Dippet, apparently. Tom Riddle (who she reluctantly admitted was rather cute) was trying to convince Dippet to let him stay at Hogwarts for the summer, instead of going to the orphanage he'd been born at. Tom Riddle was a half-blood wizard with a muggle father and a witch mother. _

_They talked about the attacks and Dippet told him there was a chance that he'd be allowed to stay if the attacks had stopped and the culprit had been caught. _

_Carina watched in horror as Tom Riddle framed a much younger Hagrid for the attacks that had taken place in the school. She wasn't stupid, Hagrid's pet had been an acromantula, they couldn't petrify, and their killing tended to be decidedly obvious. There was no way that the acromantula had really been causing the attacks, which meant that Hagrid hadn't been behind them either. _

_Which meant that either Tom Riddle had been desperate to get away from his orphanage and framed Hagrid in that desperation, or Tom Riddle was the one causing the attacks and he was blaming someone else so that he could stay and not be in trouble… Carina had a lot to think about…_

Carina bit her lip in indecision once appearing out of the journal again. Tom Riddle was an arrogant sexist pig, she was sure of that. She'd thought he was cute until he'd opened his mouth and proved to be more of a prat than Weasley and Malfoy combined.

Shaking her head in annoyance, she shoved the journal in her bag, slung her bag over her shoulder, and made her way off to defense. Joy to the world, she got to spend two hours with the poncy pansy…


	7. Befriending The Ghost

**Chapter Seven: Carina Talks To Moaning Myrtle **

**March And April 1993**

Carina didn't know what to do. How had this happened? This was spiraling so out of control, how could people believe that she would do that to her own best friend! For gods sake, she was a Ravenclaw, and Hermione had been her _best friend_ since day one, so in the unlikely case that she was Slytherin's heir, and she wasn't, she would NEVER have attacked Hermione!

A sobbing noise caught Carina's attention and she contemplated it for a second before realizing where she was – the crying girl was Myrtle. Biting her lip, Carina wondered why she didn't just walk away like so many others would have and did. Moaning Myrtle had managed to make sure that every girl who'd been at Hogwarts for more than three hours knew not to use her loo unless they were truly desperate.

…which was how she had ended up with Riddle's diary, because she'd been desperate. And she was desperate right now, because Hermione had been petrified, Elladora and Dorea had taken to only spending time with each other and ignoring the rest of the world, even Carina, and Andrew and Ryan had decided Ron Weasley really wasn't all that bad, and were hanging out with him.

The traitors… Then again, they _did_ have to share a dorm with the git for the next seven years, and getting along would make that a lot more easy to deal with. She didn't have to like it, though, especially because the git had taken her advice to heart and pretended that the whole thing with the car had never happened, or at least not the way it really had.

With a sigh, despite everything she'd heard older girls say about Myrtle and how it was impossible to get her to calm down, Carina entered the 'forbidden loo.' "Myrtle? What's wrong?"

Carina didn't think she'd ever seen a ghost look surprised, especially not _that_ surprised.

"Why do you care?" the teenage-girl-ghost asked sulkily.

For a moment, Carina contemplated what it would be like to be stuck in the body of a teenager going through puberty for _eternity_… and decided she _really_ felt sorry for Myrtle. "…I'm not sure," she finally answered. "Because I'm lonely and the entire school is either avoiding me or thinks I'm evil and out to kill them all… or worse, both at the same time. Because you're acting like I _feel_ like acting."

"What about your friends?" Myrtle asked suspiciously. "I know you were going to talk to a friend about the book that, that, someone threw at my head!"

"She was petrified," Carina said, her emotions leaking into her voice. "Merlin, but I don't know what to do! My cousins all have each other or their lackeys, my best friend has been petrified, and the vast majority of the school thinks it's my fault! I just can't figure out why this is happening! Why here, at Hogwarts? Why now? Does it have anything to do with Voldemort?"

"I don't know," Myrtle answered. "But you do seem to feel as badly as I do."

Carina shrugged half-heartedly. "That's life, what can you do?"

Myrtle gave her a commiserating look, but said, "When I was alive, people, the few who liked me, thought that talking would help me, but then they never listened. They would say they were, but it didn't feel that way."

Carina sighed miserably. "I know the feeling." An idea popped into her head. "Why don't we talk to each other?" she offered. "It must be lonely in here all the time, and I know I could do with someone to talk to… what do you think?"

Myrtle eyed her thoughtfully for a moment before agreeing. "But can you try to keep others out of here?" she asked with a bit of a whine. "Or at least limit it to people who _won't_ make fun of me?"

"I'll try, but I'm not sure anyone will care what I have to say," Carina said sadly.

**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**

Carina huffed, throwing her bag on the floor of Myrtle's room, which had changed a lot over the last two-and-a-half weeks since they had agreed to talk to each other. With nothing better to do, Carina reverted to what she'd always done before she had friends: studying. So with charms and transfiguration she had made the place less of a loo and more of a bedroom/loo/common room crossover. It was a welcome change in Myrtle's opinion, and a nice way to be in friendlier company and space in Carina's.

The only problem she'd run into with her remodeling was that the sinks stubbornly refused to be transfigured into anything but sinks. After trying multiple ways, she'd given up and just made them look nicer to fit in with the rest of the room.

"What's wrong, Claw?"

Carina cracked a grin at the nickname. She called Myrtle Raven, and Myrtle called her Claw. They'd chosen this because they were both Ravenclaws, even if Myrtle hadn't been for years, and the colors of their Room were blue and bronze, so it seemed fitting. Well, and because Carina was running out of nicknames to choose from her name, and Myrtle just hated her own.

"Same as usual, Raven," she answered sadly. "I know that the people who actually know me aren't _trying_ to abandon me, but it feels as if they are anyway! If I have to hear much more hissing and rumors directed at me I'm going to lose my temper!"

Myrtle frowned sadly. "I wish I could help you like you have me, Claw."

"You do help me," Carina assured her. "If I didn't have you to talk to, I'd have lost it ages ago and Malfoy and Weasley would both be dead."

Myrtle cracked a wry grin.

Carina smiled at her newfound friend, amazed at the changes that two-and-a-half weeks could give a ghost. Myrtle had explained that people who became ghosts as children and teens had the possibility of growing in their ghostly form until they reached the height/weight/age they would have been fully matured at. She had never tried to take up on it, mainly because she hadn't cared and she'd been living in the past – or rather, haunting in the past…

Becoming friends had been a blessing to both of them in many ways, the least of which was that Carina now appeared to be a nineteen year old, and no longer had pimples and such. The most of which was the emotional affects, Myrtle no longer crying at the slightest problem, and Carina managing to reign in her emotions much better than she'd been doing before.

Remembering why she'd come to see Myrtle now of all times, she told her, "There was yet another attack, this time it was my cousins, Andrew and Ryan! I don't know _what_ they were thinking, wandering around at night like that alone! …I'm so scared," she admitted. "I mean, what if they close Hogwarts? What if the potion for the victims doesn't work and none of them ever come back?"

Myrtle looked at her sympathetically. "What ifs only make things worse, you should try to avoid them," she said wisely. "And take your own advice," she added, knowing that she'd only gotten that advice from Carina when she'd wondered how her life would be if she hadn't died at fourteen.

Carina gave a weak laugh. "And that book I took from your toilet when it was still a toilet?" she added after a second, remembering that she'd forgotten to tell Myrtle about it. Myrtle nodded, looking a bit confused. "Well, last week, it got stolen! I was going to tell you but I completely spaced it with everything that happened afterwards… I was on my way to the Poncy Pansy's class, and my bag split open. A few different people helped me pick everything up, and when I went through it later, the diary was gone!"

Myrtle looked surprised. "Why would someone steal an empty diary?"

"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that it writes back, from the point of view of it's original owner," Carina offered. "Some guy named Tom Riddle…"

Myrtle looked even more surprised. "He was a few years above me, in Slytherin."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Carina muttered rhetorically, remembering the memory's arrogant and sexist comments. "Wait, that means the chamber of secrets get opened when you were at school?" she asked in surprise, feeling a bit stupid for not having mentioned any of this before.

Myrtle nodded thoughtfully. "But there was only two attacks before I died, and from what I understand, they stopped afterwards," she answered.

"That… that means someone could die this time," Carina whispered in alarm… she should never have wondered if her life could get worse! The school was _bound_ to be closed now…


	8. Missing Miss Granger

**Chapter Eight: Carina Misses Hermione**

**May 29****th**** 1993**

Elladora and Dorea had taken to spending time with Carina again, and they had all spent time with Myrtle, who had taken a liking to the Lestrange girls almost immediately. But even having three people she could depend on was not enough to make her stop wishing Hermione was around.

Myrtle, Ella, and 'Rea were all Ravenclaws for a reason, they valued knowledge… but none of them were like she and Hermione, finding books to be the best form of entertainment _and_ education. They would all eventually get tired of reading, whereas it would take _ages_ for that to happen to either Carina or Hermione.

But here she was, not able to read. Because she couldn't concentrate, she was worried, even if they did know that the petrified people would be _finally_ revived tomorrow evening. Dumbledore still wasn't here, and people being awakened would not ensure that the danger was gone…

Groaning, she slammed her book shut, apologizing to 'Rea, Ella and Myrtle/Raven for startling them, and then saying, "I'll be back, I can't think, I just need some space."

Space. Yeah, right. The last thing she thought she needed right now was space. What she _did_ need was someone to talk to, who wouldn't think her insane or completely miss the point.

She needed Hermione, Remus or James.

None of whom she could contact. Remus and James were off somewhere, she had no idea where as they were being rather secretive about it, and Hermione was petrified.

But even if Hermione couldn't talk back, Carina couldn't quell the need she felt to see her friend. With everything going on, Carina hadn't seen her since the night she'd been petrified.

Carina remembered that night as she was making her way towards the hospital wing, and nearly fell over when she remembered something that she hadn't thought of before… that night, they had been studying in the library, trying to find out what was behind the attacks. Carina had gone back early, hoping that for once, she'd be able to get a good nights sleep. It had been the next morning that she was told of Hermione being petrified.

At the time she had figured that Hermione was just on her way back to the common room, but there was something confusing about the whole situation. If Hermione had been on the way back to the common room, she should have been with a prefect, or at least another student. She knew the danger and risks of whatever it was attacking students attacking her as well.

No, Hermione was far from stupid, and only fear or excitement could make her risk something so obvious. So had she found something out, or had she been running from an attacker?

Determination filled Carina, even knowing Hermione would be back tomorrow, she wanted to know what Hermione had found out.

Arriving at Hermione's bedside and waving off Pomfrey's comments about the pointlessness of visiting, she immediately took note of the fact that Hermione's hand was clenched around a piece of parchment. With great effort, she pried the note out of Hermione's hand and unfolded it.

…_Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which mat reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chickens egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from it's deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the basilisk flees only from the crowing of roosters, which is fatal to it_…

Carina fought a bout of hilarity, half because it was so _obvious_, and half because Hermione had actually torn a page from a library book! That had to be the worst thing anyone could possibly _ever_ do in Hermione's mind, and she'd done it instead of just writing it down!

Rolling her eyes at her own thoughts, Carina wondered how the _hell_ they were going to get rid of a likely thousand-year-old snake, victims awakened or not? Especially what would they do if they didn't even know what they were fighting?!

Eyes widened, Carina decided that she should _really_ let professor Flitwick know what had caused the attacks, even if she didn't know who was controlling the creature. Mumbling curses under her breath, she made her way to the staff room, just in time to hear Professor McGonagall say, "The heir of Slytherin left another message, right under the first one… _her skeleton will lay in the chamber forever_." In a sad voice.

She heard Professor Flitwick moan and sent up prayers that it wasn't one of her friends, however selfish a thought it was. "Who was it?"

Carina wasn't sure who that was, but she didn't need to know to hear McGonagall's answer, "Ginny Weasley."

Nothing McGonagall said afterward had any affect on Carina, who was far too busy remembering the few days she'd spent with Ginny this summer and her strange behavior throughout the school year.

A conclusion was quickly reached from her racing thoughts: Ginny's strange behavior had started around the same time as the attacks, and the only reason the heir would have to attack a pureblood kid would be if they had information on them… Ginny had information on the heir, and the heir was trying to silence her.

Multiple other things clicked together in her mind. A conversation overheard between three Weasley's, Ron, Fred and George, where Ron had said that it made no sense that the girl had died in a toilet, and Fred had said maybe the chamber was there…

What Fred had been a joke, but if Ron was right and Myrtle had been killed by the basilisk, it was highly likely that the entrance, at least, _was_ in the girls toilet. …the sinks refused to be transfigured.

As all of this formed in her head, she knew what she had to do. She had to save Ginny, because no one was likely to believe what she knew, and there was no time to convince anyone. For some reason, she felt as if she owed it to the girl to make sure she got out of this mess alive.

Steeling her resolve, Carina made her way to the Room that had once been known as the 'forbidden loo' among girls.


	9. That Is A REALLY Big Snake

**Chapter Nine: Carina Fights A Really Big Snake**

"Raven, I need your help," Carina blurted upon entering the Room, feeling an unholy amount of relief that Ella and 'Rea had apparently gone back to the common room.

Myrtle floated over to her with a concerned look.

"I need you to tell someone, anyone," Carina said, taking a deep breath, "That the monster in the chamber is a basilisk, and that I've gone to save Ginny."

Myrtle's eyes widened. "You can't – "

"Myrtle, please," Carina pleaded desperately. "We haven't got the time to argue this, Ginny could be dying right now, and I'm the only one who can help her, because I'm the only parselmouth that isn't _causing_ all of this!"

Myrtle looked at her and then sighed regretfully. "I will tell the first person I see," she promised.

Carina breathlessly thanked her and started examining the sinks, with an unfounded feeling that she would know when she found it. And there it was, a little snake carved into the stone above one of the sinks. Once again, she breathed deeply and told herself that she could do this. "_Open_."

One look at Myrtle's face was all it took to know that she had succeeded – Myrtle looked scared, and the sink was opening into a pipe-slide. A very dirty, messy, disgusting pipe-slide. Carina looked at it doubtfully, and hissed in a hopeful manner, "_Stairs_."

Carina was utterly astonished that it worked, and immediately started running down the stairs, determined to get to Ginny _now_, before it was too late.

She ran until she reached another door, where she hissed, "_Open_." again. The door did so, and she entered a large, slightly dark chamber. There were serpent carvings and statues everywhere, and it took all Carina had not to turn around and run back out of the chamber. She had come down here for a reason and she intended to do what she'd planned.

"Ginny," she breathed, seeing the girl propped up against what seemed to be a statue of Salazar Slytherin – Merlin had that man ever been arrogant.

"It was me," the girl whispered, apology written all over her face. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, before passing out completely.

"Little Miss Carina Black," a taunting voice hissed, and Carina's eyes widened in horror. That voice – that was the same voice she'd heard in Tom Riddle's memory – it _was_ Tom Riddle. She spun around to face him, anger prominent on her face.

Riddle was holding the diary, and even without knowing how, she knew that Ginny had been writing in the journal, and Riddle had managed to come _out_ of the diary. But Ginny had said she had done it, and that didn't make sense. From what she knew of Ginny, she wouldn't do something like that! But if Ginny had been writing in the journal, and she was now unconscious, but Tom Riddle was here and seemingly alive… had he possessed her? At this thought, she sent him a repulsed look.

"You did seem quick on the uptake," he commented slyly. "So you've figured it out, have you? Ginny Weasley, opening the chamber of secrets," he said in a mocking, chiding voice.

"Tom Riddle, possessing Ginny Weasley and _forcing_ her to open the chamber of secrets," Carina snarled back in fury. "What kind of a sick fuck are you?"

Tom smirked smugly. "I see you haven't figured everything out," he mocked, and with a wave of her wand – wait, how had he gotten her wand?!

_Tom Marvolo Riddle_

_I Am Lord Voldemort_

Carina gritted her teeth in fury. Well, she had been right after all: Tom Riddle was an arrogant, sexist, pig, but he was also a murderous bastard of a dark lord. "Woo-hoo, am I supposed to be scared?" she said in a mocking tone, raising an eyebrow. Angry people made mistakes, and if she was angry, she would – so she needed him to as well. "A teenage boy with anger problems? You're nothing, you were never anything until you became a feared and hated figure of darkness," she spat in disgust. "At sixteen, you are nothing more than a boy with a grudge."

"Watch your tongue, girl," Riddle snarled back.

"Make me," she taunted, her mind racing. What was she going to do?

"_I might just_," Riddle hissed, and it took her a second to realize he'd said it in parseltongue. "_Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the founders four_."

"Like founder, like heir," Carina muttered in disgust.

"Do not mock me, the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Riddle snarled at her in English.

"You?" she laughed, unable to help herself. "You aren't the greatest sorcerer in the world, Professor Dumbledore is."

"Dumbledore was driven out of this school by the very memory of me," Riddle shot back.

"Dumbledore isn't as gone as you might think, he would never leave his students to danger," Carina said, feeling surprisingly sure of herself.

Riddle opened his mouth to reply when music began to play – it was unearthly, but beautiful and soothing, and it made Carina feel much more determined and courageous than she'd been feeling just instants before. A bird appeared in a flash of flame, making it evident where the music had been coming from – a bird that seemed familiar, and was holding …the sorting hat?

It hit Carina like an anvil, she remembered James telling her about the Marauders many visits to the headmaster, and the headmasters bird, a phoenix, named Fawkes… "Fawkes?" she asked hopefully.

Fawkes bobbed his/her head (Carina made a not to ask Dumbledore which it was later), dropped the sorting hat at her feet and perched on her shoulder.

Riddle was laughing that arrogant laugh of his, and had he been more solid, she would have smacked him across his face – gladly. And finally, it was made evident what Riddle had been attending to do when he'd hissed at the statue.

Coming closer and closer was a slithering sound, and Carina could hear it hissing under it's breath as well. Her eyes darted to the statue, where Ginny was laying, passed out, and completely unable to defend herself when that basilisk came out and in all likelihood killed her… determined as she had never been before, she yelled, "ACCIO GINNY!"

She had not even tried the summoning charm since Hermione had been petrified, so she could only hope it would work now where it hadn't before. Immediately, shockingly, Ginny's lifeless form floated towards her. With great relief, she nudged Ginny to a spot a few feet behind her, where she hoped the girl would be safe.

Despite needing, wanting, to see what was happening, Carina kept her eyes closed, knowing only too well what would happen if she looked the basilisk in the eyes, and not willing to risk it. But hell, she was risking a lot already, wasn't she? If she got herself and Ginny out of this, she'd have to explain it repeatedly, but that was _if_, and standing here, doing nothing, would not get them out of here.

With this thought, she opened her eyes and took note of what was happening. The basilisk – damn she had never seen or even imagined a snake that big – was head-to-head with Fawkes, and Fawkes had already managed to completely blind it in one eye, and was almost there with the other. There – now it was completely blinded, but Riddle had sent it towards her, and it was too close for comfort.

Unable to think of anything else, she scrambled backwards, taking the sorting hat with her and putting it on, thinking pleadingly, _help me, someone, anyone, anything, help me_!

But there was no answer, and Carina felt herself losing hope, when suddenly, she felt two –something's land on her head. Pulling the hate off with restored hope, she found that the hat had given her two daggers. They both had glimmering blue sapphires on their handles.

Unwilling to take the time to ponder this, Carina knew she had to do something. The question, though, was what was that something?

Completely against her will, she was reminded of elementary school, playing dodgeball, and it was the one time _no one_ picked on her, because they all knew she was the best at it – her aim was killer, they'd said. Well, maybe a dagger was a bit different than a rubber ball, but it would do. Mustering up her strength, she aimed the dagger at the basilisk.

It lodged itself near the snakes stomach, and the basilisk let out a roar of pain. Later on, Carina would wonder how on earth it was that snakes could roar, but now, she was too busy.

The next time the snake lunged at her, she dodged a second too late. The fang, the venomous, deadly, fang, was lodged in her left arm, and, knowing that she even if she was dead, that didn't mean Ginny was, she forced her right hand around the serpents head, and pushed the dagger through the spot just between the once-deadly eyes.

Her world span as Tom Riddle taunted her, mocking Fawkes for crying on her – wait, her thoughts were becoming clearer, she knew – phoenix tears, healing powers – how could Riddle have missed that? She heard him murmur that he had forgotten as she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position.

"There is no difference, I get the pleasure of killing you myself," Riddle said, raising her wand, when Fawkes dropped the diary on Carina's lap. Carina looked at the bird in curiosity, and then in hit her. From what Riddle had said, the life he had had come from Ginny writing in the diary – that meant that if the diary was destroyed, he wouldn't have life to suck…

But how to destroy it? She wondered, only to catch sight of the fang that had pierced her arm, lying next to her innocently, as if it didn't hold the power to kill – that was it! She grabbed the fang and slammed it into the diary. Ink splurged out of the diary, and Riddle was screaming and writhing in pain. She knew it had worked when Riddle faded completely and the chamber fell silent with the exception of ink still dripping from the diary.

Feeling shocked, she jumped wildly when she heard a moan from behind her, only to feel joy like she'd never expected coursing through her. Ginny and she had both survived! They had lived, and now they could leave this horrible chamber! She looked at Fawkes pleadingly as Ginny clung to her and cried, sharing the same story as Riddle had with a lot less smugness and a world more sorrow, and Fawkes seemed to understand the message: Carina could not carry herself up those stairs right now, let alone herself _and_ Ginny.

Fawkes perched once again on Carina's shoulder, and a warm, tingling feeling encompassed her, and Ginny as well from her expression, and then it was over, and they were in the Room again, with a very worried looking Myrtle, who was wringing her hands and talking to Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Professor McGonagall… and James.

Unbidden, memories rushed through Carina's mind…

…_I'm angry over the duel for multiple reasons, the least of which is the school rules you broke, the most of which is the risk to your life_…_ You and Weasley could have been KILLED, you could have DIED_… _You weren't thinking about the risk to your life_…

_I had a good reason_, she reassured herself, still comforting Ginny, who was staring at her parents with fear evident on her features. _He can't be mad that I saved Ginny's life and that I protected the school from a basilisk, can he?_… Mrs. Weasley was looking at Carina and Ginny with mixed emotions: love, worry, and gratefulness.

"You saved her!" she whispered. "Thank you so much, Carina!"

Carina nodded politely, warily eyeing the professors and James, who were sure to want an explanation about everything.

Carina explained, leaving out some of the more incriminating parts of the stories, and handing the diary to Dumbledore when it was brought up, as well as the daggers a few minutes later. Mrs. And Mr. Weasley were hugging Ginny, both scared at the thought that their daughter had been possessed by a young Voldemort.

Finishing, Carina blew out an exhausted breath. "Can I get some sleep now?" she asked, only a tiny bit of hope in her voice as she really didn't figure that they would let her just yet.

But Dumbledore chuckled, and said, "Arthur, Molly, James, you can escort these two young ladies to the hospital wing. I'd like to talk with Miss Black when she is feeling better, though."

Carina nodded silently and followed the Weasley's out of the room, maintaining a distance between herself and her godfather. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want to know how he was going to react to this. Sure, she had been panicked before, but with a clear mind, she could see that she should have warned a teacher, _anyone_, or at least brought help along with her, or gone down some plan in mind… there were tons of things she could have done to make it safer, and she hadn't thought of any of them at the time.

"Carina?" James' voice asked, sounding concerned.

Reluctantly, Carina let him catch up with her. "Yeah?" she asked weakly.

He looked at her for a moment, and then said, "I'm not angry with you, 'Rina."

Carina eyed him warily. "Really?"

"Really," he said with an amused smile.

"You for real?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Thank Merlin," Carina breathed, causing James to chuckle.

"Laugh it up," she said with a pout. "I was worried that my desperately needed peaceful sleep would not come along because I would end up sitting here worried about how you were going to react."

James shook his head fondly. "I'm not angry with you, only because I know that if you hadn't been panicked, you would have been a hell of a lot more careful than you were, and because you did do the right thing, sort of."

Carina looked at him and said slyly, "Do you think you could be more conflicted?"

James looked outraged.


	10. With Friends At Your Side

**Chapter Ten: Carina Befriends Ginevra**

**May 30****th**** 1993 **

**(Hospital Wing)**

"Merlin, when I said I wanted sleep, I didn't mean I wanted you poking around at me for hours on end," Carina said exasperatedly to Pomfrey. "Nothing is wrong with me, I'm fine, Fawkes healed the main injury I had, and the only thing I'm upset about is that you won't leave me alone!"

Pomfrey huffed and walked away to start re-checking on the people who had recently been re-awakened. Carina rolled her eyes and went to sit next to an amused looking Hermione. "Is it as chaotic out in the rest of the school as it is in here?" Hermione asked her.

"Merlin, but I hope not," Carina answered fervently.

Hermione grinned.

"It is so good to have you back," Carina mumbled. "I was going nutters, my only friends being Ella, 'Rea and Myrtle! I mean, they're all great friends, and they are Ravenclaws for a reason, but they don't love to read like you and I do, and they constantly want me to stop reading! It's so _frustrating_! Not to mention all the rumors and people thinking that I would petrify my _best friend_… whatever gave them the idea that I would do that?! I mean, you're my best friend!"

Hermione grinned. "The feeling is mutual, 'Rina."

Carina shot her a glare. "Good, _Mia_."

Hermione glared. "Don't even." She threatened.

"Oh, I think I will," Carina said wickedly. "After all, what are best friends for?"

Their light, joking banter was broken by a sob from a nearby bed. Exchanging concerned glances, both girls moved over to see who it was. "Ginny?" Carina asked in surprise.

Ginny nodded. "Did I thank you last night?"

Carina bit her lip to stop from laughing at that. "Many, many times," she assured the girl.

"What was wrong, Ginny?" Hermione asked concernedly. Carina was entirely sure that she would be their years Ravenclaw girl prefect come fifth year. She already helped anyone she could and was stern about the rules unless Carina convinced her not to be.

"Everything," the girl sniffed. "My entire first year was spent under his control, all my dorm mates have friends already, and because of him I've alienated most of my family, as well!"

Carina and Hermione exchanged glances, and Carina answered, "Ginny, from what I've seen of your family, I don't think any of them are going to abandon you. I think it would take a LOT more to make them do that."

"As for friends…" Hermione added. "You've got us. That is, if you want us."

Ginny looked at them tearfully. "Really?"

"Really," they confirmed in unison. Carina added, "If it will make you feel better, and I can't believe that I'm thinking this, let alone saying it, I will even be civil to your brothers."

Ginny giggled. "Where's the fun in that?"

Carina looked at her appraisingly. "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," she decided out loud, causing all three girls to fall into fits of laughter.

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

**June 1****st**** 1993**

"Sweet mother of Merlin, Lockhart, are you really that dense?" Carina asked incredulously. The man seriously thought he could obliviate everyone who knew the details of what had happened in the chamber to take credit for it himself! Insanity!

"Apparently he is," a menacing voice said. Carina nearly laughed out loud in relief. Lockhart was dumb enough to not make sure James wasn't in ear shot? That was so pathetic it was almost sad!

"Indeed," a second voice agreed, sounding almost as scary as James had. A third voice pitched in, this one female, and more scary than a basilisk, in Carina's educated opinion, "Maybe he wants a taste of his own medicine." So it wasn't a shout, nor a menacing whisper, but the deadly cold tone it was said in would have made the bravest man run for the hills.

The three adults closed in on Lockhart, and James cast a curse that Carina didn't recognize, while Mr. Weasley set his robes on fire, and Mrs. Weasley literally obliviated him – all of his memories.

Carina couldn't help but wonder how they planned to get away with it, but decided she really didn't care – this meant she never had to deal with the obnoxious pansy again!

_**CRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRBCRB**_

**June 19****th**** 1993**

Carina hugged Hermione, and then Ginny, and then Ella and 'Rea, and paused to give extra long hugs to Andrew and Ryan, remembering the months they'd been petrified. Finally she came back to Hermione and grinned. "See you at school?" she asked.

"Maybe we can work something out this summer," Hermione grinned back. "The five of us girls, we could have a girls night in or something?"

Ginny chimed in, "I'm in."

"Us too," Ella and 'Rea chorused.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say this girls night in is going to take place in my house, am I right?" James' voice asked, sounding decidedly amused.

Carina turned to face her godfather and looked at him hopefully. "Please?" she begged

James chuckled. "I was never going to say no, 'Rina, but if I had been, that would have melted me completely! Yes, you can have your girls night in."

Carina launched herself at him to hug him and he spun her around, taking advantage of the moment, knowing she'd never have stood for that if she could have stopped him.

"You prat!" Carina exclaimed, slapping him to try to get him to set her down.

After a minute, he did so, and Carina straightened out her clothes, sending him a death glare. "I _will_ get revenge," she promised.

James grinned. "I never doubted it for a second," he assured her.

With a last wave at her friends, Carina let James apparate her back home. The school year had started horrible, been horrible in the middle, and then at the very end, it had taken a drastic turn for the better: she had a new friend, Lockhart was no longer teaching… or much of anything else, Weasley was too busy with Andrew and Ryan to bother her, and she had high hopes that next year would be a nice, calm school year.

It was hard to imagine in moments like this that she'd once been the girl who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, the girl who was the object of her aunt and uncles strongest hatred, the girl with no friends and no life. Here she was with tons of friends, cousins, a godfather, and feeling like she had a life that was worth living.

Carina loved the change.


End file.
